This is a complete transcript of the October 2023 bureaucrat vote debate that occurred on September 25, 2023. It was between administrators Enayy and Tabbloide, with the moderator being bureaucrat Cluckster. Some parts have been edited for grammar and for reader comprehension.
Cluckster:
- First up, Enayy. The first question for you is why should you become the next bureaucrat and the Head of Moderation?
Enayy:
- I believe I should become the next bureaucrat and Head of Moderation because I already have years of experience on Fandom sites, including additional bureaucrat work on Minitubia and another admin position on the Unofficial Alphabet Lore Wiki. I especially believe it is my work on Minitubia, a YouTube related site and the sister to Wikitubia, that has best prepared me for this role.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Now, to Tabbloide: Why should you become the next bureaucrat and Head of Moderation?
Tabbloide:
- I think I should become the Head of Moderation because despite my time and experience here, I am just as capable as Enayy is at both moderating and leadership. Not only that, but I already have more bureaucrat experience in general than my opponent does, because as far as I'm concerned, the only other wiki he's a bureaucrat on is Minitubia; and not only is that wiki littered with it's own problems (some are admittedly out of his control however, not trying to find easier dirt on him, just felt like mentioning that) but I generally have better experiences with the wiki that I'm staff on, and you can reasonably expect that Wikitubia, regardless of if I win or not, will especially be my main priority going forward. Despite any prior incidents and/or lapses in judgement, I have proven that in my time here, I am responsible enough to be trusted with such an endeavor.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Now back to Enayy, what makes you more qualified than your opponent?
Enayy:
- I have proven myself to be an expert and capable moderator. I have had more experience and more time in each staff position than my opponent has had, and I am familiar with all of the tools of moderation on both fronts: content and discussions. Just as well, I am readily available, responding quickly whenever I am notified. As well, though my opponent has shown professionalism, I've noticed that they have a tendency to vanish unexpectedly, which I believe is not very reliable for a bureaucrat. As for myself, the facets I have mentioned about myself have that led to me becoming one of Cluckster's most trusted users in the first place, so I am more than qualified, and also ready, to take on this role.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Same question for you, Tabbloide, what makes you more qualified than your opponent?
Tabbloide:
- While I have to admit that my opponents criticisms of me are valid, those don't exactly prove me to be any less of a good moderator than they are. My perceived "vanishing" habit is due to a time zone difference between me and them, and since that is out of my control, I try to compensate for that by being as open as possible when I am online. I've proven that in spite of my inexperience in the beginning that I am capable of taking on challenges like this. I am also very acquainted on how Fandom operates and have also ascended to become one of "Cluckster's most trusted users", as my opponent is as well.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Back to you Enayy, what is your rebuttal to Tabbloide's reasoning for why you are less qualified than her?
Enayy:
- While my opponent would like to pass her "vanishing" off as time zone differences, when you look at the time between September 16, 2023 at 10:25 EDT and September 18, 2023 at 17:56 EDT, the gap (a full day) becomes too large to be excused by a mere difference in time zones. This is not the first time either, but the previous instance of this occurring might be a fairly sensitive topic, so I will lay off. Now then, I will admit, that Tabbloide is not a bad moderator, and has nowhere near as many rough patches as she used to. Every now and then, however, there is the occasional event that I would see as worrisome; for instance, pretending to be drunk and getting yourself a timeout for "annoying behavior" may not inspire confidence in my opponent's candidacy.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Now to Tabbloide, what is your rebuttal to Enayy's reasoning for why you are less qualified than him?
Tabbloide:
- I had anticipated him using that "incident" against me, so I prepared a proper rebuttal ahead of time.
- The sarcasm is not appreciated, but I'd like to clarify that during that time, I had a lot of personal things going on that prevented me from accessing the internet as a whole. I couldn't have planned or accommodated for that, and I even explained the reasoning for this disappearance a myriad of times.
- I am not juvenile enough to fake something like that, nor would I even think of doing so. That was a mistake on my part, and it admittedly isn't the best look for me. However, you, of all people, should know that is not an accurate representation of who I am and what I'm capable of. Despite any bumps or as you put it "rough patches" that I might run into, I can assure you that I am responsible enough to own up to my mistakes and strive to do better. The act of making a few dumb decisions at times does not define my entire personality and capability to lead, and I am not going to let one mistake boggle my ambition down.
Cluckster:
- Alright then. Back to Enayy, what changes would you want to make to Wikitubia and it's moderation if you become the next bureaucrat?
Enayy:
- Well, this is going to be a summarized version of what I really want to say, and isn't the only issue. I'll tackle the biggest issue for now. The biggest issue Wikitubia's moderation has is the centralization of power towards the bureaucrat role. This happens, not entirely because all the power lies with Cluckster, but because staff participate less than they should. In Cluckster's absence, I have seen with my own eyes how staff members have discussed and voted on problems without prior prompting from a bureaucrat. In other words, even under the current system, its still possible. The way to solve this is to encourage an environment of cooperation. For example, whenever a staff member has something to discuss, a thread could be made to discuss the issue productively and cooperatively so the issue doesn't get drowned in chat and so people are aware and encouraged to participate.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Back to Tabbloide, what changes would you want to make to Wikitubia and it's moderation if you become the next bureaucrat?
Tabbloide:
- I have expressed my plans for what I actually plan to do if I am to become the next bureaucrat, but here is a list of the main ones (since I don't have the luxury of time on my side), and why I personally believe that they would benefit the wiki and its staff as a whole:
- Decentralizing the Head of Moderation role, along with all the other heads.
- Restructuring the voting system and encouraging more individual thinking and staff collaboration.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. And finally for Enayy, what is one compliment you have towards your opponent?
Enayy:
- Something I respect about my opponent is her work ethic. She rose through Wikitubia's staff ranks fast, and that's for a reason. As well, she is not someone to be underestimated.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. And finally to Tabbloide, what is one compliment you have towards your opponent?
Tabbloide:
- You (Enayy) have boatloads of experience and wisdom, and I attribute my "success" to your continued support and inadvertent guidance. As I am not one to be underestimated, neither are you, and it's understandable why you are such a popular option and a valued staff member by user and staff alike.
Cluckster:
- Thank you both for answering my questions I had prepared us. Now, I will give a chance for some observers to ask questions in our wiki discussion Discord channel. Tylerota2 asks, "How long will you stay as bureaucrat?". Enayy has the question first.
Enayy:
- That is a question I can't answer, only time knows.
Cluckster:
- Alright then. Tabbloide has the question now.
Tabbloide:
- Same answer as Enayy. I plan to stay as long as I can, but that plan is only a plan, and things might come up.
Cluckster: Alright then. CheesePlatter asks, "What do you plan to do differently than Cluckster?". Enayy has the question first.
Enayy:
- This is something I covered when I announced my candidacy in the first place. As I'm sure you've heard by now, while Cluckster was great, he, whether inadvertently or not, centralized a lot of power towards himself. As well, for something a bit more unique, I've found the rules in their current state to be fairly convoluted. If possible, I would like to change that, though I have no ideas for how I would do something like that at the moment.
Cluckster:
- Alright then. Tabbloide has the question now.
Tabbloide:
- I hate to admit it, but our aspirations are pretty much the same. Despite that, I do plan to foster a co-operative staff environment that both promotes group thinking and gets rid of the tedium of having too many unnecessary policies clog up productivity. My plan might change depending on how things go, but I can promise at least to change the way the staff operates if I am to become the next bureaucrat.
Cluckster:
- Alright then. Now to the last question. Minecraftia Mine 12312 asks, "How will you make Wikitubia a better place?". Enayy has the question first.
Enayy:
- Time isn't on either of our sides, so here's a too brief version:
- Content pages on Wikitubia could use better sourcing and maintenance.
- Discussions are, to put it artfully, a minefield, and could use moderation.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Tabbloide has the question now.
Tabbloide:
- My answer doesn't differ from his at all. My main goal is to help with the dumpster fire that is our sourcing policy and how we enforce it, and assist the discussions portion of the staff in making the discussions as safer and less toxic place for all users.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Enayy, do you have any final thoughts?
Enayy:
- I believe I’ve performed demonstrably well in this debate, but we’ll have to see the results in October. I wish good luck to my opponent, and trust in voters to make the right choice. Goodbye to Cluckster as well.
Cluckster:
- Thank you. Tabbloide, do you have any final thoughts?
Tabbloide:
- I had fun doing this debate, and I look forward to seeing how the vote in October pans out. Whoever wins, I'm sure the wiki will be in good hands, though.
Cluckster:
- That will conclude this debate. Thank you both for participating.